Four Bolts Advance to Olympic Quarterfinals; Two Eliminated
- Mike Smith
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
By Mike Smith | Thunderstruck Sports
The Elimination Rounds have started at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. Four members of the Tampa Bay Lightning moved on with their respective teams through the playoff qualifiers, while two Bolts saw their Olympic dreams come ot an end on Tuesday.
Hedman, Sweden Defeat Latvia, Eliminating Girgensons
Victor Hedman and the Swedish Olympic Team soundly defeated Latvia, 5-1, on Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals. Hedman led a defense that held Latvia to 21 shots, and found himself in the penalty box for a cross-check in the second period.
Pontus Holmberg also advances to the quarterfinals with Team Sweden. Holmberg was a -1 on Tuesday.
Zemus Girgensens was held scoreless by Sweden on five shots Tuesday. Girgensens led the team in round-robin scoring with four points.
Sweden will face Jake Guentzel and Team USA on Wednesday.
Bjorkstrand, Denmark Eliminated
Oliver Bjorkstrand was the first Lightning player eliminated from the Olympic tournament when Czechia defeated Denmark, 3-2. Bjorkstrade led the team in shots with five, but failed to find the back of the net again.
Despite taking 14 shots in four games, Bjorkstrand only managed one assist and had a +1 rating for the games.
Czechia faces Jon Cooper, Brandon Hagel, and Team Canada in quarterfinal action on Wednesday.
Moser, Switzerland Move Past Host Country Italy
JJ Moser had two shots and a +1 rating on Tuesday as Switzerland defeated Italy, 3-0. The Bolts defenseman continues to make a name for himself in his home country, setting a new Swiss record for the most points by a defenseman in a single NHL-inclusive Olympics, with four points (one goal, three assists).
Moser also has the second-most amount of ice time for the Swiss blueliners.
Switzerland takes on Finland in the quarterfinals.
Germany Ousts France From Competition
Team Germany defeated France on Tuesday, 5-1. Lightning prospect Wojciech Stachowiak did not play in the matchup.
Germany will face Erik Cernak and Team Slovakia in the Quarterfinals.
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